PhilosophyPodcasts.Org

Peter E. Gordon Walter Benjamin: The Pearl Diver. https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300289459/walter-benjamin/

Katie Ebner-Landy The Character Sketch as Philosophy: Manners, Mores, Types https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674294127

Joshua Landy (Stanford University) Proust: A very short introduction

Henry David Thoreau A Very Short Introduction Lawrence Buell The first concise account of Thoreau's life, thought, work, and impact in more than half a century Builds upon the explosion of new scholarship on Thoreau during the decade of the bicentennial of his birth Treats Thoreau's two most famous and influential works - Walden and "Civil Disobedience" - both as an interdependent pair and as a window into the evolution of his thought and writing as a whole

Dan Zahavi Phenomenology: The basics, 2nd Edition Two footnotes to the podcast. 1. Walter Hopp's beloved Boston University course is distilled in his Phenomenology: A Contemporary Introduction (2020), an excellent companion to Zahavi's text that focuses on philosophical phenomenology. 2. Paul Møller's Psychosis risk and experience of the self (2023) is the text mentioned in the podcast that uses phenomenological experience to predict psychosis risk. Description of Phenomenology: The basics, 2nd edition. Phenomenology: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to one of the important philosophical movements of the twentieth century and to a subject that continues to grow and diversify. Yet it is also a challenging subject, the elements of which can be hard to grasp. This lucid book provides an introduction to the core ideas of phenomenology and to the arguments of its principal thinkers, including Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. Written by a leading expert in the field, Dan Zahavi examines and explains key questions such as: What is a phenomenological analysis? What are the methodological foundations of phenomenology? What does phenomenology have to say about intentionality, embodiment, intersubjectivity, and the lifeworld? How do ideas from classic phenomenology relate to ongoing debates in qualitative research and the cognitive sciences? This second edition has been thoroughly revised and expanded. It contains a new chapter on critical phenomenology and updated discussions of the application of phenomenology in psychiatry, psychology, and qualitative research. Including a glossary of key terms and suggestions for further reading, Phenomenology: The Basics is a superb starting point for anyone seeking a concise and accessible introduction to this rich and fascinating subject. Table of Contents Preface to the second edition Introduction Part I: Foundational issues 1. The phenomena 2. Intentionality 3. Methodological considerations 4. Science and the lifeworld 5. Digging deeper: From surface to depth phenomenology 6. Merleau-Ponty's preface to Phenomenology of Perception Part II: Concrete analyses 7. Spatiality and embodiment 8. Intersubjectivity and sociality 9. Critical and political phenomenology Part III: Applied phenomenology 10. Classical applications: Psychology, psychiatry, sociology 11. Current debates in qualitative research and the cognitive sciences 12. A method, an attitude, a theoretical framework Conclusion Glossary References Index Author(s) Biography Dan Zahavi is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Director of the Center for Subjectivity Research in Copenhagen. His book The Phenomenological Mind (third edition, 2021), coauthored with Shaun Gallagher, is also available from Routledge. Critics' Reviews "Clear, engaging and insightful, there is no better introduction to the past, present and future of phenomenological philosophy than this new edition of Zahavi's book." - Dave Ward, University of Edinburgh, UK "Nuanced, problem-driven, and accessible, this is simply the best introduction to phenomenology. Lucidly written, it presents clear explanations of key concepts and theories while covering the breadth of the phenomenological tradition. The revised edition now also provides an introduction to Critical Phenomenology, likely the most-discussed trend in phenomenology today." - Tobias Keiling, University of Warwick, UK Praise for the previous edition: "For the one seeking a way into phenomenological thinking today, or a way to help others find one, it has not been obvious, in the English context, what resource should serve as the best point of entry. The first great merit of Dan Zahavi's book, Phenomenology: The Basics, is to change this calculus for good. Offering English readers an entry point into phenomenology that is accessible, lucid, and engaging, presents key concepts and insights faithfully (but not ploddingly), along with their pertinence in multiple fields of contemporary research, and doing this without obvious error or negligence, is no small achievement." - Karl Hefty, Reading Religion "A lucid and authoritative introduction to phenomenology including its practical applications in sociology and psychology from one of the world's leading phenomenologists." - Dermot Moran, Boston College, USA "Zahavi's Phenomenology: The Basics will guide several generations of philosophers and scientists in the study of consciousness, embodiment, communality and normality." - Sara Heinämaa, University of Jyväskylä, Finland "Dan Zahavi, one of the most prolific and insightful phenomenologists of his generation, has provided a concise, clear and intellectually stimulating introduction to the study of phenomenology."- Alessandro Duranti, University of California, Los Angeles, USA "This lucid book gets to the core of what phenomenology is all about, and is essential reading for any students of that tradition." - Piet Hut, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, USA https://www.routledge.com/Phenomenology-The-Basics/Zahavi/p/book/9781032396378?

Agnes Callard Open Socrates "[C]harming, intelligent…Open Socrates encourages us to recognize how little we know, and to start thinking." —Jennifer Szalai, New York Times An iconoclastic philosopher revives Socrates for our time, showing how we can answer—and, in the first place, ask—life's most important questions. Socrates has been hiding in plain sight. We call him the father of Western philosophy, but what exactly are his philosophical views? He is famous for his humility, but readers often find him arrogant and condescending. We parrot his claim that "the unexamined life is not worth living," yet take no steps to live examined ones. We know that he was tried, convicted, and executed for "corrupting the youth," but freely assign Socratic dialogues to today's youths, to introduce them to philosophy. We've lost sight of what made him so dangerous. In Open Socrates, acclaimed philosopher Agnes Callard recovers the radical move at the center of Socrates' thought, and shows why it is still the way to a good life. Callard draws our attention to Socrates' startling discovery that we don't know how to ask ourselves the most important questions—about how we should live, and how we might change. Before a person even has a chance to reflect, their bodily desires or the forces of social conformity have already answered on their behalf. To ask the most important questions, we need help. Callard argues that the true ambition of the famous "Socratic method" is to reveal what one human being can be to another. You can use another person in many ways—for survival, for pleasure, for comfort—but you are engaging them to the fullest when you call on them to help answer your questions and challenge your answers. Callard shows that Socrates' method allows us to make progress in thinking about how to manage romantic love, how to confront one's own death, and how to approach politics. In the process, she gives us nothing less than a new ethics to live by.

See https/://CorriganIPU.com for updates on Human Rights Complaint submitted to Mass DMV regarding alleged human rights violations in this Fall River, MA facility. Corrigan IPU patients deserve a real, substantive right to access the outdoors. It is gross really to see the Corrigan IPU patients staying inside day after day, week after week, and in some cases month after month. And it is still more alarming when Corrigan staff blithely and complacently point to the four times a day when a minority subset of patients (youthful patients) can go outside. (Roughly 25% to 50% of patients [depending on the patients on unit at a particular time) can access the outdoors because, for example, they do not suffer neither obesit], paranoia exacerbated in groups, social anxiety, catatonia, or dementia, and do not present fall risks). For the other patients (the majority [especially when weighted by length of stay]). they are inside constantly, and it is disgusting to see. Their skin can be as white as white-out. The outdoors breaks are valued by the employees, but the employees aren't able to extend the courtesy to their fellow humans. It is a case of domination of the medical professionals over the neurodiverse. Some Corrigan staff no doubt get off on this. Most would get off on it indirectly and subliminally. Maybe a few get off on it consciously and directly. On the other hand, there is also another factor at play: the way we can get used to things that are odious, simply because others aren't clamoring about it, and we simply stop paying attention. If you went to Corrigan IPU, you would be appalled by the majority of patients who never go outside. But I venture if you shunned it for a year or so, you would eventually get used to it. You would be able subconsciously to suppress how disgusting it is for these humans (who happen to be patients) to be tortured by not having a real substantive, right of access to the outside. How does this happen? Rousseau in his Confessions said it was human nature. "I have derived an important moral principle, perhaps the only one of any real practical use, which is that we should avoid situations that bring our duty into conflict with our interests … since I am certain that in such situations, … we will sooner or later weaken, without noticing it, and become unjust and wicked in deed without having ceased to be just and good in spirit" I first raised this issue with Corrigan in October 2024 to Larry Weiner who is the Director of Human Rights at Corrigan. He simply ignored me. Danielle Keogh, LICSW, actively resisted my efforts. I then decided to make a formal Human RIghts Complaint. I assumed this would get a response. However no one from Corrigan would even acknowledge they received it. I sent it to: Jose Afonso ("provider" where a "provider" is sometimes called a "prescriber". It is essentially someone who can prescribe, so it is a nurse practitioner, DO, etc.) Maxwell I. Mayer (provider) Larry Weiner and Jeanne Crespi, social worker. Nb: I have invited each of these people to come on to this podcast or contact me in writing to correct me where I am wrong. To work at Corrigan you need to develop the ability to shun. You shun recognition of how many patients don't get to go outside. You shun the nausea you probably had when you first saw this. You also learn, it seems, to shun other people, people such as me who are raising the issue. A social worker or mental-health counselor would in fact claim that such shunning constituted "self care" or "an adaptive coping mechanism." Until they correct me, I would attribute Afonso and Mayer's non-response to their occupational or characterological contrariness and sense of superiority. They are "providers." They also have a vested interest (which is subliminal [see Rousseau]) as they possess the big swinging dicks at Corrigan IPU, are used to being kowtowed to, and, on information and belief, seem to use the Corrigan IPU as the IPU for their personal (presumably middle-class, white) patients. (The nurses will hold a bed open when they know that one of the providers' patients will soon be needing a bed. On information and belief, they also keep their own patients there longer ceteris paribus. Also as the golden goose: Corrigan IPU apparently requires an MD be on call all the time in case of an admission. The upshot is that it is good to have one of them as a provider. From the perspective of their patients' families, keeping this small (16-bed) unit open is a godsend. It only starts to look sketchy when you think of the anonymous payers of taxes and insurance premia. Why did I send it to Jeanne Crespi? She is the interim "Person in Charge," meaning she is the person you are supposed to contact with a Human Rights Complaint. It was thus quite surprising to me that neither she nor Larry Weiner even acknowledged my Complaint, or were willing to indicate to me that my Complaint would be taken seriously. I mean: that is one of their official, professional duties, as the Human Rights Officer and Person in Charge. In each case I was specifically--and increasingly plaintively--asking that they person please acknowledge receiving my Complaint, as a matter of simple courtesy. To no avail. Repeatedly shunned, I felt myself in full Karen mode. I went up the chain of command until, finally, I reached Star Sims, JD, Director of Human Rights for all of DMH. I appreciate attorney Sims responding quickly and professionally, acknowledging receipt of my complaint. Below are: (I) my exchange with Attorney Sims (II) timeline dates, factoids, and gossip mentioned in the podcast (III) my letters to Corrigan staff (each of which was met with the silent treatment) (I) my exchange with Attorney Sims On Tue, Feb 18, 2025 at 9:38 AM Sims, Startese (DMH) wrote: Good Morning Mr. [sic] Baker, I am acknowledging that I have received your email. I have forwarded your email/complaint to the DMH Office of Investigations for processing. The Human Rights Office does not investigate complaints. Thank you, Star Star Sims, J.D. Director of Human Rights Department of Mental Health 25 Staniford Street Boston, MA. 02114 From: August Baker Sent: Friday, February 14, 2025 6:58 PM To: Sims, Startese (DMH) Subject: Human Rights Complaint Startese Sims, JD/ Director of Human Rights / Massachusetts Department of Mental Health Dear Attorney Sims, It is well-known that all detainees should be provided at least one hour daily of outdoor air and outdoor light. This is for example the longstanding and well-established position of the United Nations (as codified in the Nelson Mandela Rules). If a facility does not provide daily outdoor access, that is considered a form of torture (e.g., the Association for the Prevention of Torture). Massachusetts state law and state regulations concur. A patient of a facility must be provided daily access to the outdoors, individually or in groups. 104 CMR §27.13(6)(f) I hereby make this Human Rights Complaint regarding the Acute Inpatient Unit at Corrigan Mental Health Center ("Corrigan IPU"). Although the percentage varies depending on the current patient load, a significant portion of the patients at Corrigan IPU are not provided a substantive right of daily access to the outdoors. As a result, based on information and belief, many patients at Corrigan IPU can go a whole week without accessing the outdoors. Some can go even an entire month without access. The staff at Corrigan IPU do not even keep track of when was the last time that a patient accessed the outdoors. I have the right to make this Complaint and have it be taken seriously. Under Massachusetts state law and regulations, any person may make a Human Rights Complaint regarding a condition involving DMH clients which he or she believes to be dangerous, illegal, or inhumane. 104 CMR, § 32.04 That is precisely the situation here I am complaining about a condition involving DMH clients which I believe to be both illegal and inhumane. Yet I have attempted several times to bring this condition to the attention of Corrigan personnel, and their response has been to ignore my complaint. I first brought the issue to the attention of Human Rights Officer Lawrence Weiner in October 2024. I recently made my complaint known to Facility Medical Director Jose Afonso, and staff member Maxwell Mayer. I also made it known to Jeanne Crespi, who, according to the January 2025 DMH Resource Directory, is the current Person in Charge. In addition, I have made public records requests regarding this issue. (I asked, specifically, for any information regarding a Plan as defined in 104 CMR 27.13(6)(f)5. I also contacted the Ombudsman. In all cases, there has been no response at all. It appears that DMH has a policy of ignoring correspondence. I have no reason to believe that my Complaint is being taken seriously. Could you please acknowledge receipt of this email? Could you also please be sure that someone is taking this complaint seriously? Thank you so much, Sincerely, August Baker, PhD (II) timeline dates, factoids, and gossip mentioned in the podcast We start with the Kennedy Administration Mental Health Centers Act. The first MHC in the state was in Lowell, and the second was the Fall River Mental Health Center. It started out in 1961 as an annex of Taunton State Hospital and was located within Charlton (then known as Union) hospital. In August 1962, it moved to a remodeled laundry building at 680 Maple St., adjacent to its future location on Hillside Ave, which was then under construction. The Hillside Ave building originally had a 40 bed IPU on the top floor. It was renamed after a cardiologist, Dr. John C. Corrigan, in 1970. From 1992 to 1995, the Weld administration attempted unsuccessfully to privatize Corrigan. In 1992, most Emergency Services provision was privatized in the state, but Corrigan and Pocasset remained under DMH control. 2010 press reports indicated that a closure of Corrigan was prevented by the efforts of legislator David B. Sullivan, who started his career as a social worker at Corrigan. It was said then that 16 beds would be lost. I infer that the reduction to 16 beds occurred prior to 2010. 2015 Southcoast Behavioral in Dartmouth opened as a joint effort of South Coast Health and Acadia Healthcare of Franklin Tennessee. It opened as a 77,000 square foot, 5-unit hospital with 24 beds per unit. Thus, initially, it had 120 beds. It has since opened three more units. Thus, it is up to 192 beds. As noted in the podcast, what is striking is to compare the professional staff at Southcoast Behavioral (with its 200 patients) compared to 16-bed (!) Corrigan. Southcoast Behavioral no doubt has many more techs than Corrigan IPU, but it has far fewer techs per bed. It is run entirely by nurses. That is, nurses do all the work, compared with Corrigan which has redundancy between OT, Social work and the nursing staff. Even the OT staff at Corrigan feel the need to insert themselves into treatment planning generally (not simply with respect to OT). Southcoast Behavioral is built ranch-style, we might say. Every unit has direct same-floor access to the outside. It is in this respect much more humane than Corrigan. It also pays market wages and salaries, compared to Corrigan which pays labor-market rents to its unionized, public-sector workforce. That might sound like a good thing, but with labor-market rents comes discrimination. The Corrigan professional staff has zero African Americans. The Corrigan blue-collar staff is entirely white and male at the higher pay grades. There are a handfull of African Americans on the lowest end of the payscale. On January 7, 2015, the Fresh Air law (S.911, H.3805) was signed by Gov. Deval Patrick. [See https://malegislature.gov/Bills/188/H3804 ] At the time, it was estimated that 25 to 30 percent of psychiatric hospitals would be unable to pass even the 2016 regulations which DMH promposed to operationalize the law. However those hospitals which were unable to comply were required to provide a plan to DMH indicating how they would remedy the situation. It is now 10 years later, and Corrigan has still not provided meaningful outdoors access to its most physically and mentally compromised patients. (It offers only nominal outdoor access. These are taken advantage of by its youthful patients and enjoyed also by the staff. Nothing wrong with that, but what about the compromised patients?) It is this plan that I have been trying to get. I originally asked Larry Weiner for it in 2024. He shunned the entire topic. 2017 Emergency Services at Corrigan were privatized resulting in savings of $6.4 million in the first year alone without a reduction in the level of services. Unlike the early 1990s, employees did not succesfully organize resistance to the move. Kennard C. Kobrin was a psychiatrist at Corrigan until 1998. His background was in San Francisco, not Hollywood. He was married to the actress Joanna Cassidy, who described Kobrin as a "wonderful duality," "with doctors on one side and Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and people who were selling clothes to Jefferson Airplane on the other." https://www.southcoasttoday.com/story/news/1999/04/11/trying-dr-kobrin/50529926007/ [IN PROGRESS] (III) my letters to Corrigan staff (each of which was met with the silent treatment) [IN PROGRESS]

Alenka Zupančič Disavowal This book argues that the psychoanalytic concept of disavowal best renders the structure underlying our contemporary social response to traumatic and disturbing events, from climate change to unsettling tectonic shifts in our social tissue. Unlike denialism and negation, disavowal functions by fully acknowledging what we disavow. Zupancic contends that disavowal, which sustains some belief by means of ardently proclaiming the knowledge of the opposite, is becoming a predominant feature of our social and political life. She also shows how the libidinal economy of disavowal is a key element of capitalist economy. The concept of fetishistic disavowal already exposes the objectified side of the mechanism of the disavowal, which follows the general formula: I know well, but all the same, the object-fetish allows me to disregard this knowledge. Zupancic adds another twist by showing how, in the prevailing structure of disavowal today, the mere act of declaring that we know becomes itself an object-fetish by which we intercept the reality of that very knowledge. This perverse deployment of knowledge deprives it of any reality. This structure of disavowal can be found not only in the more extreme and dramatic cases of conspiracy theories and re-emerging magical thinking, but even more so in the supposedly sober continuation of business as usual, combined with the call to adapt to the new reality. To disrupt this social embedding of disavowal, it is not enough to change the way we think: things need to change, and hence the way they think for us

Peter Singer Consider the turkey Why this holiday season is a great time to rethink the traditional turkey feast.

Deirdre Nansen McCloskey Liberalism By revealed preference, Prof. McCloskey is our favorite scholar to talk with. This is our third conversation with her. Today, we discuss two working papers on liberalism.

Stephanie Li Ugly White People: Writing Whiteness in Contemporary America White Americans are confronting their whiteness more than ever before, with political and social shifts ushering in a newfound racial awareness. And with white people increasingly seeing themselves as distinctly racialized (not simply as American or human), white writers are exposing a self-awareness of white racialized behavior—from staunch antiracism to virulent forms of xenophobic nationalism. Ugly White People explores representations of whiteness from twenty-first-century white American authors, revealing white recognition of the ugly forms whiteness can take. Stephanie Li argues that much of the twenty-first century has been defined by this rising consciousness of whiteness because of the imminent shift to a "majority minority" population and the growing diversification of America's political, social, and cultural institutions. The result is literature that more directly grapples with whiteness as its own construct rather than a wrongly assumed norm. Li contextualizes a series of literary novels as collectively influenced by changes in racial and political attitudes. Turning to works by Dave Eggers, Sarah Smarsh, J. D. Vance, Claire Messud, Ben Lerner, and others, she traces the responses to white consciousness that breed shared manifestations of ugliness. The tension between acknowledging whiteness as an identity built on domination and the failure to remedy inequalities that have proliferated from this founding injustice is often the source of the ugly whiteness portrayed through these narratives. The questions posed in Ugly White People about the nature and future of whiteness are vital to understanding contemporary race relations in America. From the election of Trump and the rise of white nationalism to Karen memes and the war against critical race theory to the pervasive pattern of behavior among largely liberal-leaning whites, Li elucidates truths about whiteness that challenge any hope of national unity and, most devastatingly, the basic humanity of others. Ugly White People is not about the 'racists' but about the way whiteness shapes the subjectivity of all white people. Relying on an elegant and parsimonious textual analysis of the work of contemporary authors, Stephanie Li shows how whites manage to evade while they acknowledge their whiteness, how they consume people of color through racist love, and how they accept whiteness in a way that neglects addressing racism. I highly recommend this book to readers interested in understanding contemporary whiteness. — Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Duke University The best writing critically studying whiteness today intensely engages imbrications of race with other identities, especially class, gender, nationality, and disability. No one does all of that better than Stephanie Li. Addressing literary moments with a sure grasp of history and an adventuresome readings of texts, Ugly White People speaks compellingly to the persisting strength of Trump and white nationalism and to the desire for social media celebrity as something authors both explore and share. — David Roediger, author of The Sinking Middle Class: A Political History of Debt, Misery, and the Drift to the Right Stephanie Li is Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis. She is author of Pan-African American Literature, Playing in the White, and Signifying without Specifying.

Merav Roth A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Reading Literature Reading the Reader (Art, Creativity, and Psychoanalysis Book Series) 1st Edition What are the unconscious processes involved in reading literature? How does literature influence our psychological development and existential challenges? A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Reading Literature offers a unique glimpse into the unconscious psychic processes and development involved in reading. The author listens to the 'free associations' of various literary characters, in numerous scenarios where the characters are themselves reading literature, thus revealing the mysterious ways in which reading literature helps us and contributes to our development. The book offers an introduction both to classic literature (Poe, Proust, Sartre, Semprún, Pessoa, Agnon and more) and to the major psychoanalytic concepts that can be used in reading it – all described and widely explained before being used as tools for interpreting the literary illustrations. The book thus offers a rich lexical psychoanalytic source, alongside its main aim in analysing the reader's psychological mechanisms and development. Psychoanalytic interpretation of those literary readers opens three main avenues to the reader's experience: the transference relations toward the literary characters; the literary work as means to transcend beyond the reader's self-identity and existential boundaries; and mobilization of internal dialectic tensions towards new integration and psychic equilibrium. An Epilogue concludes by emphasising the transformational power embedded in reading literature. The fascinating dialogue between literature and psychoanalysis illuminates hitherto concealed aspects of each discipline and contributes to new insights in both fields. A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Reading Literature will be of great interest not only to psychoanalytic-psychotherapists and literature scholars, but also to a wider readership beyond these areas of study.

Peter Singer and Shih Chao-Hwei The Buddhist and the Ethicist: Conversations on effective altrusism, engaged Buddhism, and how to build a better world ABOUT THE BUDDHIST AND THE ETHICIST Eastern spirituality and utilitarian philosophy meet in these unique dialogues between a Buddhist monastic and a moral philosopher on such issues as animal welfare, gender equality, the death penalty, and more An unlikely duo—Professor Peter Singer, a preeminent philosopher and professor of bioethics, and Venerable Shih Chao-Hwei, a Taiwanese Buddhist monastic and social activist—join forces to talk ethics in lively conversations that cross oceans, overcome language barriers, and bridge philosophies. The eye-opening dialogues collected here share unique perspectives on contemporary issues like animal welfare, gender equality, the death penalty, and more. Together, these two deep thinkers explore the foundation of ethics and key Buddhist concepts, and ultimately reveal how we can all move toward making the world a better place. "A remarkable and historical meeting of minds between one of the greatest philosophers of our times and a leading proponent of Buddhist ethics, grounded on utilitarianism and guided by compassion and insight, which aims at preventing and relieving all kinds of suffering, whatever they might be, and doing as much good as possible to all sentient beings without discrimination." —Matthieu Ricard, author of Altruism and A Plea for Animals "Few things are more enlightening than good dialogue, and this engrossing conversation between a Western philosopher and an Asian Buddhist is a case in point. Their probing exploration of each other's worldviews illuminates key concepts in the Buddhist and utilitarian traditions and reveals an underlying unity; these two schools of thought, though quite different in cultural ancestry, exhibit much commonality of purpose and spirit as they address some of life's most important and challenging questions." —Robert Wright, author of Why Buddhism Is True "The Buddhist and the Ethicist is a fascinating exchange between two brilliant and wide-ranging thinkers who were originally brought together because of their shared interests in animal welfare. Their conversations cover a staggering array of topics, and I truly enjoyed seeing what came out of their extremely active brains and hearts and how much they got mine going in many different directions. I guarantee you, too, will rethink some views you have on different ethical questions and will be exposed to many situations and dilemmas about which you've rarely or never thought. I know I'll be returning to this valuable collection time and time again." —Marc Bekoff, University of Colorado, author of The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age (with Jessica Pierce) and A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World Without Humans (with Jessica Pierce) "This gem of a book invites readers to listen in as two brilliant contemporary moral philosophers talk about what it means to be a good person and live an ethical life. The Buddhist and the Ethicist offers us a living encounter between Western and Eastern moral traditions. We have the honor of sitting in as Peter Singer, one of the West's most innovative and influential utilitarian philosophers, and Shih Chao-Hwei, a prominent Buddhist scholar, monastic, and activist, talk some of the most contentious and significant moral issues of our time, including human-animal relations, equality, sexuality, and effective altruism. Singer and Chao-Hwei show us how to have constructive, respectful dialogue about values—a skill more vitally important now than ever before. They remind us that it is possible to begin from seemingly conflicting points of view and, through open-minded conversation, to find and expand common ground." —Jessica Pierce, author of Who's a Good Dog? And How to Be a Better Human "This timely and stimulating dialogue between Professor Peter Singer and Venerable Chao-Hwei Shih takes place at the intersection between altruism and engaged Buddhism. Their many conversations through the intervening years have examined diverse and relevant social issues during the twenty-first century. Their incisive examination of ethical considerations for all life-forms, while ages old, are brought together in this book through candid discussions about ending life and killing from in utero, to euthanasia, suicide, and killing during wartime. At the same time, their dialogue integrates the crosscutting themes of women and equality, sexuality, animal rights, and more. I invite you to become a part of their dialogue through which you can revisit these topics that transcend cultures and countries." —Sulak Sivaraksa, author, activist, and cofounder of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists "An enlightening exploration of ethics, altruism, and social justice through the engaging dialogue between a prominent philosopher and a great scholar of Buddhism. A must-read for those seeking to expand their understanding of these traditions and the pressing issues of our time." —Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, student activist, author, and engaged Buddhist "A wonderful book that does what philosophy and religious teachings are supposed to do: challenge us to think better, to live better, and to be better." —Ryan Holiday, podcast host and author of The Daily Stoic "Their dialogues unfold in rigorous detail and probe rich and trenchant ethical questions. . . . Plenty of insight in these thought-provoking and challenging investigations." —Publishers Weekly "In this fascinating book, Singer and Chao-Hwei explore dynamic topics, including animal welfare, capital punishment, gender equality, and the foundations of both Buddhism and ethics." —Tricycle "Particularly illuminating is Chao-Hwei's clarification of terms, often misunderstood in the West, such as karma, rebirth and nirvana, as well as the central role and nature of compassion in Buddhist ethics. For those interested in how nuanced philosophical thought can inform our daily lives and actions, this accessible meeting of minds is a good place to start." —The Sydney Morning Herald (Non-fiction pick of the week)